The Arleta Mustangs and the Verdugo Hills Dons both entered their Thursday matchup with undefeated East Valley League records, and near identical overall records. With both teams set on a future city title, the game was hard fought from buzzer to buzzer, before the Mustangs were able to finish out their victory in overtime. The Mustangs’ 44-40 win marks the seventh in a row for Arleta, and puts an end to the Dons’ undefeated run. 

The game got off to a low scoring start as both teams battled defensively. Verdugo Hills’ Amiyya Castanos found crafty ways to get to the rim, weaving through defenders. Arleta’s Aakira Smith pushed the pace for the Mustangs’ offense, getting shots up before the Dons’ defense had a chance to establish itself. However, Arleta struggled to get shots to fall early. Quick offensive possessions meant limited ball movement, which was beneficial in avoiding turnovers but didn’t result in many open shots. The Dons led the Mustangs 22-14 after the first half. 

Arleta opened the second half with a seven-point run, their offense revived by Verdugo Hills favoring a zone, which left shooters open for three point attempts. Even if these threes weren’t falling, Victoria Eufracio was there to clean up the Mustangs’ offensive glass, finishing with 9 offensive rebounds, on top of her 12 points and 3 steals. Eufracio’s work on the boards allowed Justine Mejia to shine, contributing 15 points and 9 rebounds of her own. 

Though Arleta led in the second half by as many as eight points, the Dons never counted themselves out. Amiyya Castanos (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and captain Rayleen Castanos (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), lead a late scoring run to close the gap. A clutch three from Amiyya tied the game with 30 seconds to play in regulation, and a steal from Rayleen kept the Mustangs from scoring on their final possession. 

The Mustangs bounced back as soon as overtime began, with Eufracio scoring the first four points before a three from Mejia rounded out another seven point run for Arleta. The Dons were unable to combat the Mustangs’ hot start and Arleta came out with the victory. 

The Dons will face Poly on January 31. The Mustangs some time off before they take on Poly as well on February 3 to defend their undefeated status. Arleta and Verdugo Hills will rematch on February 12.